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105
A general survey of the housing conditions in the Borough was included
in the Annual Report for the year 1930, and it is not proposed to repeat here
all the information therein contained, as broadly considered, housing conditions
have changed very little during the year now under consideration.
In fact housing conditions in the Borough have changed far too little during
the last ten years.
The publication of the preliminary census figures enables a comparison
to be made between conditions in 1921 and 1931. This comparison is here
given in tabular form:—
(See Inset).
It will be seen from the foregoing table that the population of the
Borough has fallen by approximately 7 per cent during the inter-censal
period, and that every Ward has shared in this fall (Cols. 5 and G); that the
number of families is only slightly reduced, this fact being associated with a
decrease, general throughout the Borough, in the average size of the family
(Cols. 7, 8, 9 and 10); that the number of structurally separate dwellings and
the number of rooms have both increased slightly—note, however, that these
figures are not quite comparable (Cols. 11, 12, 13 and 14) and, finally, that
there is a slight improvement in the rooms per person ratio (Cols. 15 and 16).
With the exception of Southwark, Shoreditch is the most densely populated
of the London Boroughs, and it is the most built up of them all—that
is to say, the relative area of open spaces, recreation grounds and so forth, is
less than in any other London Borough.
Since the War, bad housing conditions have been the greatest of the
evils inimical to the health and well-being of the people of the Borough, and
it appears likely, at the present rate of progress, they will retain this unenviable
distinction for many years to come.
Fitness of Houses.
A large proportion of the houses are old and more or less dilapidated, and
a great number should, economic and other conditions permitting, be rebuilt.
During 1931 dangerous structure notices were served respecting 190
premises, the corresponding figure for 1930 was 148.
Difficulty has been experienced in making use of Section 17 of the Housing
Act, 1930, for the reason that in many cases considered, it has been
decided that it was not likely to be held that the work required to make the
house fit for human habitation could be carried out at a reasonable cost. In
other words very many houses in the Borough have been kept in habitable
repair for many years by action taken under the Public Health Act, and have
now reached a stage of decrepitude in which action on a large scale under the
Housing Act is impracticable. There is, further, the difficulty of obtaining
temporary accommodation for occupiers while the necessary work is done. At
the time of writing, however, a scheme is on foot which it is hoped will make